Limestone holds off Lees-McRae, 69-59

GAFFNEY, S.C. --- The Limestone College men's
basketball team utilized a 24-12 second half run en route to a
69-59 win over Lees-McRae College on Thursday night in Conference
Carolinas play.

Limestone (20-5, 14-3 CC) posted a field goal percentage of 46.4
percent for the game, including an even 50 percent mark in the
second half, while holding Lees-McRae to a 41.4 clip from the floor
and limiting the Bobcats (6-19, 2-15 CC) to a 6-for-16 night from
beyond the arc. The Bobcats edged the Saints by a 37-36 margin on
the glass, as Limestone converted 14 Lees-McRae miscues into 11
points.

Lees-McRae started off strong, opening an early 9-2 lead on a
McFerran layup before Limestone countered with an 8-2 spurt,
trimming the margin to 11-10 on a Douglass bucket at the 12:15
mark. The teams traded baskets for much of the next 10 minutes,
until Limestone closed out the half with a 7-2 run to take a 32-27
lead into the intermission following a last-second layup by Nick
Debnam (Raleigh, N.C.).

Lees-McRae responded in the second half, cutting the lead to
37-36 on a pair of Youse free throws before Limestone regained
control, countering with a 13-5 run to take a 50-41 advantage on a
Ford triple at the 10:24 mark. The Saints would push the lead to a
game-high 13 points at 61-48 with 4:19 to play on a Douglass free
throw.

The Bobcats showed tremendous poise over the final four minutes,
cutting the lead to 66-59 with a Youse triple before Limestone
tallied the last three points of the game to close out the win.

Lees-McRae returns to the hardwood on Saturday when the Bobcats
host Coker College on Senior Day in Williams Gymnasium. Tip-off is
slated for 4 p.m. following the Senior Day festivities. Coker
defeated Lees-McRae by an 81-61 margin in the season's first
matchup on Jan. 22 in Hartsville, S.C.